This Artist Made Us Fall in Love with Typography Again

Where It Started

Born in Papua New Guinea, Ryan Rivu was surrounded by art before he ever picked up a pencil. “Where I’m from, art is a crucial part of our culture,” he says. “I grew up surrounded by so many artists that all inspired me to make art.” That inspiration turned into action at a young age — drawing for fun, catching the eyes of friends and family, and slowly realizing this was more than a hobby.

‍“So many people around me loved art and had an obsession with it — this obviously influenced me to do the same.”

While Ryan has experimented with nearly every medium — painting, animation, video editing — it was graphic design that truly pulled him in. Specifically, typography. The idea that you could make art with just words shifted everything. And that curiosity became an obsession.

His Style

Ryan’s style is clean but clever — fusing type and imagery to create bold, seamless designs. It’s the kind of work that feels simple until you look closer. Each piece carries weight. Sometimes a message. Sometimes a feeling. Always intentional.
“My personal experiences influence the way I design,” he says. “Sometimes I just want people to feel what I feel — or at least get curious about it.”

‍“I want people to feel the same joy I felt when I first discovered graphic design — something that can change their perspective.”

He draws a lot from social media, where creators bounce off each other with endless ideas. It’s a space of constant motion — and that suits Ryan’s mindset perfectly. He’s always learning, always jumping between hobbies, but design is where he stays grounded.

The Collab

We saw Ryan’s work online and immediately knew it needed to live on fabric. His ability to mix clean visuals with personal storytelling aligned perfectly with what Créateur Collective stands for. This collaboration is more than a graphic on a tee — it’s a piece of his world. A piece of where he’s from, what he feels, and how he sees design.